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What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

Video Topic : Go deep inside your body to see how type 2 diabetes happens, what it does to your body-and what you can do about it. Diabetes expert Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center talks about the frightening future of diabetes: in just a few decades, one third of all Americans may have diabetes. See the pancreas, where insulin is produced. Real imaging data reveals the body's inner anatomy slice by slice, from brain to base of spine. Dr. Cynthia Geyer of Canyon Ranch talks about how insulin resistance develops. View its results, as visceral abdominal fat builds up and chokes the vital organs. Discover the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and find out if you should be tested. See the complications of diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, vision damage, kidney disease, and gangrene. The good news? Diabetes is a highly manageable disease. Dr. Mark Liponis of Canyon Ranch talks about controlling your risk for type 2 diabetes and, by managing it, reversing its symptoms and literally slowing the aging process.

Diabetes Type 2

Also called: Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

You have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you are older, obese, have a family history of diabetes, or do not exercise. Having prediabetes also increases your risk. Prediabetes means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes appear slowly. Some people do not notice symptoms at all. The symptoms can include

Being very thirsty

Urinating often

Feeling very hungry or tired

Losing weight without trying

Having sores that heal slowly

Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Many people can manage their diabetes through healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing. Some people also need to take diabetes medicines.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Video Topic : Go deep inside your body to see how type 2 diabetes happens, what it does to your body-and what you can do about it.

Videos

What is Type 2 Diabetes? _ ClearlyHealth.com - Patient Ed (VIDEO)

What is Type 2 Diabetes? _ ClearlyHealth.com - Patient Ed

Diabetes Type 2

Also called: Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

You have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you are older, obese, have a family history of diabetes, or do not exercise. Having prediabetes also increases your risk. Prediabetes means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes appear slowly. Some people do not notice symptoms at all. The symptoms can include

Being very thirsty

Urinating often

Feeling very hungry or tired

Losing weight without trying

Having sores that heal slowly

Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Many people can manage their diabetes through healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing. Some people also need to take diabetes medicines.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Diabetes Type 2 - What Is Diabetes Mellitus? (VIDEO)

Diabetes Type 2 - What Is Diabetes Mellitus? _ Mike Murphy

Video Topic : Diabetes is a disease where your body does not produce enough insulin, or else the insulin it produces is not doing what it is supposed to do, which is to lower blood sugar. As a result, your blood sugar levels increase causing hyperglycemia.

Image Caption : Pancreas and Duodenum with Pancreatic Duct and Bile Duct : The biliary system consists of the organs and ducts that produce and transport bile. When damaged or dying red blood cells are broken down, bilirubin, a yellow pigment and component of hemoglobin, is released into the bloodstream. Bilirubin is eliminated from the body by the liver as a component of bile, which is stored in the gallbladder and then released into the small intestine to aid digestion. The pancreas functions as two organs in one. It secretes digestive enzymes into the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine), which then combine with bile, produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. The majority of cells in the pancreas (some 98%) are cells arranged in grape-like clusters that produce these important enzymes. The other 2% of pancreatic cells are those that produce the hormone insulin. Our bodies (and especially our brains) run on glucose, which is produced by the digestion of carbohydrates. The body's ability to use glucose as its main source of energy depends on insulin.

Diabetes Type 2

Also called: Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

You have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you are older, obese, have a family history of diabetes, or do not exercise. Having prediabetes also increases your risk. Prediabetes means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes appear slowly. Some people do not notice symptoms at all. The symptoms can include

Being very thirsty

Urinating often

Feeling very hungry or tired

Losing weight without trying

Having sores that heal slowly

Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Many people can manage their diabetes through healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing. Some people also need to take diabetes medicines.

What's New in Type 2 Diabetes Meds? (Conditions A-Z) _ Healthguru

Diabetes Medicines

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. If you can't control your diabetes with wise food choices and physical activity, you may need diabetes medicines. The kind of medicine you take depends on your type of diabetes, your schedule, and your other health conditions.

With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. If you have type 1 diabetes, you will need to take insulin.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, can start when the body doesn't use insulin as it should. If your body can't keep up with the need for insulin, you may need to take pills. Along with meal planning and physical activity, diabetes pills help people with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes keep their blood glucose levels on target. Several kinds of pills are available. Each works in a different way. Many people take two or three kinds of pills. Some people take combination pills. Combination pills contain two kinds of diabetes medicine in one tablet. Some people take pills and insulin.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Images

What is prediabetes? How does insulin resistance relate to type 2 diabetes and prediabetes?

Image Caption: Diseased Kidney : This visualization is the anterior view of an unhealthy kidney, damaged from Metabolic Disease, diabetes,chronic kidney disease and hypertension. This kidney exhibits a severe case of stage five chronic kidney disease (CKD). Shrinkage of the kidney and increased granulation and scarring on the surface are visible.

What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose or A1C levels—which reflect average blood glucose levels—are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Prediabetes is becoming more common in the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that at least 86 million U.S. adults ages 20 or older had prediabetes in 2012.1People with prediabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and CVD, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

How does insulin resistance relate to type 2 diabetes and prediabetes?

Insulin resistance increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Prediabetes usually occurs in people who already have insulin resistance. Although insulin resistance alone does not cause type 2 diabetes, it often sets the stage for the disease by placing a high demand on the insulin-producing beta cells. In prediabetes, the beta cells can no longer produce enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance, causing blood glucose levels to rise above the normal range.

Once a person has prediabetes, continued loss of beta cell function usually leads to type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes have high blood glucose. Over time, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-limb amputations.

Studies have shown that most people with prediabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they change their lifestyle. Lifestyle changes include losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight—10 to 14 pounds for people who weigh 200 pounds—by making changes in their diet and level of physical activity.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Blood Glucose Testing and Type 2 Diabetes?

Image Caption: Blood Glucose Testing : The pancreas produces several enzymes that play roles in digestion. The body's ability to use glucose depends on the hormone insulin, which is also produced by the pancreas. With diabetes, however, the body loses its ability to respond to or produce insulin. In chronic pancreatitis, as the pancreas becomes scarred, many people develop diabetes or the inability to digest foods, especially fats, which can result in malnutrition and weight loss.

Glucose Test

Our bodies and brains run on glucose. Our ability to use glucose as a source of energy depends on the hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas. Levels of insulin and glucose in the blood must be maintained in careful balance. Chronic conditions of too much or too little glucose in the bloodstream can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and blood vessels.

Why Test for Glucose?

Glucose provides energy for cells throughout the body. This simple sugar is produced through the digestion of carbohydrates (even complex carbohydrates, such as those in whole grains, must be broken down into simpler components). The body's ability to use glucose depends on the hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas. Blood levels of glucose rise after meals, but insulin keeps glucose levels within a narrow range; excess glucose is stored in the liver as glycogen, a chain of glucose molecules, to be used when food is not available or when extra energy is needed.

Demographics

Diabetes affects about 25 million people in the U.S. (more than a quarter of them undiagnosed). Diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death based on U.S. death certificates, but is believed to be widely underreported. It is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults, the leading cause of kidney failure, and the leading cause of lower-limb amputations not caused by trauma. About 60-70% of people with diabetes have some degree of nervous system damage. Incidence rates range from 7% of white Americans to 33% of some Native American populations.

Diabetes Type 2

Also called: Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

You have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you are older, obese, have a family history of diabetes, or do not exercise. Having prediabetes also increases your risk. Prediabetes means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes appear slowly. Some people do not notice symptoms at all. The symptoms can include

Being very thirsty

Urinating often

Feeling very hungry or tired

Losing weight without trying

Having sores that heal slowly

Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Many people can manage their diabetes through healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing. Some people also need to take diabetes medicines.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring

Self evaluation of whole blood glucose levels outside the clinical laboratory. A digital or battery-operated reflectance meter may be used. It has wide application in controlling unstable insulin-dependent diabetes.

National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Blood Sugar

Also called: Blood glucose

Blood sugar, or glucose, is the main sugar found in your blood. It comes from the food you eat, and is your body's main source of energy. Your blood carries glucose to all of your body's cells to use for energy.

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar levels are too high. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. Even if you don't have diabetes, sometimes you may have problems with blood sugar that is too low or too high. Keeping a regular schedule of eating, activity, and taking any medicines you need can help.

If you do have diabetes, it is very important to keep your blood sugar numbers in your target range. You may need to check your blood sugar several times each day. Your health care provider will also do a blood test called an A1C. It checks your average blood sugar level over the past three months. If your blood sugar is too high, you may need to take medicines and/or follow a special diet.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

How does Obesity and Physical Inactivity effect Type 2 Diabetes?

Image Caption: Obese Female Anatomy anterior view : As a nation, we ingest heaping helpings of dietary advice; Americans spend more than $40 billion on weight loss programs, products and books. The media help fuel this appetite with a glut of articles, often confusing or contradictory, on the latest dietary medical research. What is indisputable, however, are the statistics. Obesity rates have surged in the past 20 years. Today, one third of all adults in the country are obese as well as 17% of children and adolescents. The toll obesity is taking the health of the nation, in terms of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other conditions, is also indisputable.

Obesity and Physical Inactivity

Physical inactivity and obesity are strongly associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. People who are genetically susceptible to type 2 diabetes are more vulnerable when these risk factors are present.

An imbalance between caloric intake and physical activity can lead to obesity, which causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. Central obesity, in which a person has excess abdominal fat, is a major risk factor not only for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes but also for heart and blood vessel disease, also called cardiovascular disease (CVD). This excess "belly fat" produces hormones and other substances that can cause harmful, chronic effects in the body such as damage to blood vessels.

The DPP and other studies show that millions of people can lower their risk for type 2 diabetes by making lifestyle changes and losing weight. The DPP proved that people with prediabetes-at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes-could sharply lower their risk by losing weight through regular physical activity and a diet low in fat and calories. In 2009, a follow-up study of DPP participants-the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS)-showed that the benefits of weight loss lasted for at least 10 years after the original study began.

Diabetes Type 2

Also called: Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

You have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you are older, obese, have a family history of diabetes, or do not exercise. Having prediabetes also increases your risk. Prediabetes means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes appear slowly. Some people do not notice symptoms at all. The symptoms can include

Being very thirsty

Urinating often

Feeling very hungry or tired

Losing weight without trying

Having sores that heal slowly

Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Many people can manage their diabetes through healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing. Some people also need to take diabetes medicines.

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